Rose of Realization
by marisdupain
Summary: Ever since they met, Ladybug had been ignoring and denying any possible romantic feelings for Chat Noir. But when she starts to believe he moved on to Kagami, will her crush finally fall into place? Will it be too late? [ Rated T for minor language, based off the episode Onichan ]


Hi guys, this is my second one shot, I hope you all enjoy it! It's based off the episode Onichan (season three, episode nine) and the iconic failed "pound it scene".

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

"Pound it?" Ladybug asserts, fluttering her eyelashes. She poises one leg up, leaning towards her partner whilst she waits for a response.

_Nothing_.

Chat looks down at Kagami, who is still planted on the pavement. Carefully, he lifts her up with two gloved hands.

"I'm going to take her home," he responds flatly.

Ladybug's expression changes from fluttery and joyful to shocked and confused in a matter of seconds. Chat rarely rejects a fist bump, especially one after defeating such a difficult akuma! But then, it clicked. Kagami. He liked Kagami. He chose Kagami over her. Why does _everyone_ choose Kagami over her?

Wait, _why_ does she care so much?

"Keep an eye on Lila...she lies as much as she breathes," Chat scoffs as he supports Kagami into his arms. Ladybug is fuming on the inside, but she won't let her partner or anyone else see that.

Once Chat and Kagami leave, the bug turns her attention to Lila.

"So, your leg is healed?" she asks, her bluebell eyes glued to the ground, fist clenching as her fingernails drag themselves into the palm of her hand. Her throat feels hot and she knows she wants to be anywhere but here, alone with Lila. If Chat truly loved her so much, why did he think it was a good idea to leave her alone with the one person she despises the most?

"Uh, of course! It's because I've been hanging out with superheroes so now I am as courageous as both as you and Chat Noir," Lila scoffs, tilting her head to the side in awe.

"Well, you should be able to return home all alone then," Ladybug replies before leaving the scene. As she finds her way home, she prays the tears cornering her eyes were from the cooling wind. She shouldn't be upset over this. It was seriously not a big deal. So what if he moved on? She never showed any interest in him anyway. He deserved Kagami.

Once in her room, Ladybug falls into Marinette. A concerned Tikki flutters next to the bluenette as she watches her lip quiver and body tense up.

"Marinette, are you alright?" the kwami inquires, nuzzling into her cheek. Marinette bites down on her lip to refrain her tears from falling down and to stop the sob begging to escape her mouth.

She tries to talk, but it just turns into a dry cough.

"I-I just don't know what everyone sees in Kagami. What if Master Fu offers Chat to give someone a Miraculous and he chooses her? Then she'll replace me, and then they'll get married and then they'll get to have the little kittens he always talks about and... oh my God!" Marinette shrieks, throwing her hands over her pursed lips.

"What?" Tikki questions.

_"I like Chat Noir!" _

"Marinette.." Tikki begins.

But before Tikki can even start her phrase, she's interrupted by a panicking Marinette, who is now pacing around her room, hands pulling at pigtails while she mutters curse words to the ceiling.

"I'm jealous. I'm jealous because I like Chat Noir and that makes me betray my love for Adrien and oh my God I'm such a terrible person! And I'm too late because he already loves Kagami because she's athletic and pretty and smart and I'm just...me! What do I do?" Marinette cries as she finds herself collapsing on her chaise, out of breath from her vent.

"Marinette, calm down. Of course Chat Noir still likes you. Rejecting one fist bump to get an akuma victim home safely means nothing. But you do need to talk to him and tell him how you feel, before it _is_ too late."

Marinette's mind suddenly becomes a circus of emotions. How would he react? They couldn't be together, it would be far too dangerous due to Hawkmoth. And what about Adrien? She had almost forgot about him!

"We have patrol tonight. I-I guess I'll talk to him then."

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Over the past year, Chat's excitement for patrols had only grown. He grants the world for any chance he got to see the lady of his dreams, and tonight was just another blessing.

"Purrfect night for patrol, am I right or am I right Bugaboo?" the cat smirks, a common flirty expression written on his face as he plants himself next to Ladybug.

Ladybug. Ladybug who didn't respond with a playful shove in the shoulder or roll in her eyes. Ladybug who just stood, her body against the railing of a rooftop, uneven sighs escaping her. He couldn't see her face, as she had her eyes on the streets below.

"Ladybug, are you alright?" he asks, his hand now on her shoulder.

"You like her, don't you?" Ladybug blurts out, her voice cold and filled with hurt.

"What?" Chat answers, lifting her chin up with an index finger.

"Kagami. You like her."

Chat's expression of concern quickly is replaced with a laugh. Ladybug. Ladybug is jealous. Ladybug is upset over someone getting in the way of _him_ and _his_ lady.

"Oh. My. God. Is m'lady _jealous_?" he asks, now throwing his free hand on her other shoulder.

"Shut up and admit it please. I just want this to be over with," she mutters, her face beginning to warm up. This was already a nightmare.

"I don't know. I just wanted to move on from you, you've been rejecting me for so long, what's the point?" he replies, his body tense due to realizing how he spent the past year of his love life.

"So I guess I'm not worth waiting for?" she says, her eyes now watery and bottom lip wobbling.

"What? No! But at this point there's literally no chance of you liking me back."

"Chat I told you. Even if we did get together, it would be too dangerous. I'm sorry if that's not good enough for you." Ladybug replies, a single tear slipping from her face.

He wipes it off her cheek with a gloved thumb. His heart drops to his stomach, he had never seen her so vulnerable before. And the fact that it was because of him?

Yeah, he felt like shit.

"Ladybug..."

"No, it's fine. Go off with Kagami, that's what everyone does. For some reason I'm just not good enough for any boy I like because they just keep picking her considering this is the _second_ time it's happened."

"You like me?" he asks, his voice appearing more enthusiastic than it should.

Ladybug lets out a dry laugh. "Not the point Kitty,"

"I'm not choosing her over you, I swear. I'm just confused. Who is the other boy?"

"Hm?"

"You said this was the second time it happened," Chat reminds his partner as he watches her cheeks form into a blush.

"That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," he replies softly, sharpening his grip on her shoulders.

"It was Adrien. Adrien Agreste."

"_A-Adrien_?"

Oh no. He really messed up. How did he not realize? They looked so alike! There were so many times a bit of Marinette peeled through his partner, and even more times when his shy classmate turned into the most courageous leader he had ever seen!

"Yes. I've been pining after that boy ever since he transferred to my school and I got myself into this stupid mess and ended up watching him ice skate with Kagami for two hours until an akuma thankfully interrupted everything and-" she stops, her body freezing due to her mind flashing back into the memory.

Chat steps closer to her before holding her in a tight embrace. She returns the gesture, letting a few tears fall along with a silent sob.

His heart breaks at that.

"It's okay. I know you don't want to talk about it _Marinette_,"

"I- what?" How did Chat know her identity? Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't know you liked me. Man, I'm so oblivious."

"_A-Adrien_?" she croaks, releasing herself from the hug as her glassy eyes hit his sparkling green ones.

"Hi," he responds awkwardly, his cat ears perking.

She sarcastically waves back at her partner, rolling her eyes while doing so. There, that's the Ladybug he knows.

That is until the self doubt comes back.

"So this means. You chose her, her as in Kagami, twice?"

"No, of course not. I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid and impulsive," he sighs, twirling a strand of her midnight hair in his hand.

"Chloé was right. I really am a nobody to you."

Chat stops.

"She said that to you?" the cat replies coldly. Ladybug, no, Marinette had gone through all of this, half of it which he caused and he just got to sit there without helping for the past year?

"It doesn't matter what she said. She's right. I managed to love you as Adrien and Chat, even if it took me a while to realize how I felt about you when you were transformed. But you? You just loved me and my stupid mask. Forget this ever happened," her voice heightens again as she turns to walk away. She's close to crying again, and she knows she's embarrassed herself way too much to have another mental breakdown in front of both sides of her crush tonight.

He grabs onto her wrist before she can even begin to pull out her yo-yo.

"Stop. You know that's not true. Do you hear yourself? You are _not_ a nobody. You're _Marinette_. I literally told you you were our everyday Ladybug. I practically risked my life against Weredad to save you. You are everything to me. And I'm sorry about Kagami. I just wanted someone who wanted me back. And what about Luka?"

Damn, Chat didn't even realize how much his voice was raising during his mini rant.

Luka, Ladybug thought. Shit, she was stupid. She totally made it seem like she was into him due to all the time she had been spending with him! But she didn't like him, she just saw him as a friend.

"I guess I wanted someone who wanted me back. As Marinette."

"Man, we really are dumb, aren't we?" Chat laughs.

"Clearly," Ladybug sniffles, swiping her hands under her eyes to clear any remaining tears. Then, she speaks up again.

"I'm sorry for getting upset over a stupid fist bump. I guess I never realized my feelings and it all clicked and man, I just feel like a _complete_ overdramatic idiot."

"Come on Bugaboo, you're none of those things. People tend to go crazy once they start falling for the cat," her partner winks, kissing her hand.

"Says the one who was complaining about the attention his civilian self gets while fighting Onichan today," Ladybug snorts.

"Y-you heard that?" Chat shrieks, his eyes widening.

Ladybug responds with a soft giggle.

"So what now?" she asks.

"We can worry about _that_ later," Chat responds, taking a step closer to her.

She smells like strawberries. Strawberries and macaroons.

"Ladybug, may I?" he asks, his hand now rested on her cheek. She responds with a simple nod as

she placed her gloved hands around his neck. Their lips fall in place perfectly, a passionate yet soft kiss both superheroes will forever cherish.

"Finally, a kiss we _both_ can remember."


End file.
